Minding the Baby
by stexgirl2000
Summary: Someone is keeping Malcolm Reed awake at night...


Title: Minding the Baby  
  
Author: Stexgirl2000  
  
Disclaimers: Enterprise and Star Trek doesn't belong to me. Not mine, it's Paramount's. I don't make one thin penny off of this.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Category: Romance, Humor  
  
Codes: R/S, Tu, P  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Summary: Another lifetime, another universe...a tale of parenthood.  
  
Author's Note: Ladette put the plot bunny in my head. This is my second shot at getting her request right. Un-beta'd.  
  
Minding the Baby  
  
The vibrations of the warp engine could be felt as a subtle rumble underneath Malcolm's feet. From the way they felt, he could tell that the ship's engines were not running at peak proficiency. Close to it, but not at the standard that the chief engineer set for himself and his team. He could feel it from the soles of his feet to the top of his head and all the bones in between.  
  
In the six and a half years he'd known Trip, Malcolm never admitted that like his wife, he too could hear and feel the differences in tone the ship made as it went in and out of warp. From the way the ship felt, Malcolm would bet that if he went down to engineering, he'd find Trip there, sweating over a modification, looking over the read outs, trying to figure out how to make it better.  
  
A small cough distracted Malcolm from his thoughts and he looked down at the bundle in his arms. His daughter, Anne Sato-Reed looked up at him with big brown eyes and smiled her father. "Still awake, eh? Look my little love, you're supposed to be going to sleep. Your dad and mum need some sleep," murmured Malcolm, a small smile on his face.  
  
Anne burbled and continued to smile at her father, so Malcolm kept on walking with his daughter snug in her sling. For the fifth night in a row, Anne was wide awake at 0100, screaming at the top of her lungs when she wasn't being walked and held. For the first three nights, Hoshi stayed up with Anne, as Malcolm had upgrades to the EM force shield to complete. After the upgrades were finished, Malcolm took over the late night duty of walking with his almost five month old daughter.  
  
"Anne, my girl," he said softly, "I do hope this is just another growth spurt, like Phlox says it is. It just will not do to have this become a habit. Your mum and I are finally getting used to feeding you every five hours. We thought you were getting into a regular sleeping pattern, too. You're a Reed, my dear, and Reeds do get at least eight hours of sleep at a time. It's one bloody tradition I hope you adopt soon. As for the rest, I don't care about one way or the other."  
  
Malcolm stopped as he felt another change in the warp engine's vibrations. Anne gave a little squeal and began to cry. He bounced his daughter with a bit more motion as he walked, humming to her until she smiled again. Looking at her, he was sure his daughter inherited her mother's sensitive hearing and his way of feeling vibrations. "So, you felt that too, hmm? I think we've sped up a bit. I wonder what is going on? Shall we go see your Uncle Trip? Would you like that? Eh, little one?  
  
Malcolm felt the familiar thrill of love as his daughter smiled up at him. Oh, she was daddy's little girl and had him wrapped around her tiny fingers. From the moment he helped deliver her and cut the umbilical cord, she was the only other female who'd ever captured his heart fully.  
  
Getting into the lift, Malcolm paced back and forth, sighing inwardly as Anne's eyes continued to remain wide open. Stifling a yawn, he wondered when his daughter would finally go back to sleep. They had six months left on the Enterprise and he prayed that the rest of their remaining time on board would not see many more nights like this. Deep in the back of his head, he chuckled at his wishful thinking; for pity's sake, he told himself wryly, of course there's going to be more of this, it's what infants do-- drive their parents almost mad with sleep deprivation.  
  
And lack of sex, whispered another voice from deep inside his brain.  
  
Malcolm ruthlessly cut off that train of thought. He was not going to go there.  
  
Despite his intention, his mind went there, conjuring up the delicious image of Hoshi's bare backside in shower this morning. He'd been so tempted to join her in there, but Anna had just woken up and Hoshi needed her shower. Malcolm looked at his smiling daughter. "It's a good thing we love you so much, as having you has put a crimp in your mum and dad's...private time together."  
  
Anna gave him a happy gurgle and the door to the lift opened. Malcolm walked down the corridor to engineering, noting that the ship's vibration smoothed out. Walking in, he noted that indeed, Trip was there, burning the midnight oil. At that moment, Anna gave a little squeal, causing Trip and the Gamma shift engineers to look up at Malcolm.  
  
Trip grinned at the sight of Malcolm in sweats, hair sticking up straight, Anna snuggled in the sling across his chest. "Don't tell me she's doin' that cryin' and wailin' thing again?" he drawled.  
  
Malcolm made his way over to Trip, rocking his daughter slowly. "Oh, yes. Phlox keeps on saying it's just a growth spurt and normal, but I'm beginning to believe that's his line for anything he can't explain."  
  
Trip laughed and looked down at Anne. "Hey there, darlin' girl? Howja doin'? Are you keepin' your momma and daddy awake?" He smiled and laughed some more as Anne grabbed one of his fingers.  
  
"Her mum is now, I hope, fast asleep. I hope that soon, I will be too. So what's going on that you're up at this bloody hour?" asked Malcolm.  
  
Trip chuckled at Anna, moving his finger from side-to-side as she continued to hold on. "Oh, the improvements we made to squeeze out warp 5.8, they started acting up. So, we've been tweaking the plasma injectors, the warp coils, etc, etc..."  
  
"How's the power flow holding up?" Malcolm looked on, amused as Trip made faces at Anna.  
  
"Good, good. I think we've ironed out most of the kinks. The ole girl should be fine and be runnin' smooth as silk. Look, I gotta check on one more thing here, then hit the sack," said Trip, withdrawing his finger from Anna's tight grasp. As he pulled away, Anna gave a little cry and Malcolm began rocking her again.  
  
"Lucky bastard," said Malcolm, smiling ruefully. "Enjoy it while you can, for once Thayla gives birth to Charles Tucker the Fourth, you'll be in same boat as I am right now."  
  
Trip cocked an eyebrow at Malcolm. "Well, by then we'll be back on Earth. I think it'll be a little easier to calm a fussy baby there than here."  
  
Malcolm gave a snort of disbelief. "If you honestly believe that, I have a rainforest on Vulcan I'd like to sell you."  
  
Trip guffawed and clasped Malcolm on the shoulder. "That's funny, Mal. Good luck with getting' Anne to sleep. I'll see you later." Trip walked away, giving Malcolm a small wave. Malcolm smiled back at Trip, easily hiding his annoyance at what Trip said.  
  
Malcolm walked out of engineering, stopping a few times to let various crewmembers coo at his daughter. As the door to engineering shut behind them, Malcolm shook his head at his still wide awake child. "For a man who is brilliant with warp engines, your Uncle Trip can be a very stupid git, my girl. Easier to calm a baby planet-side, indeed! Mark my words, he'll be up many a long night with his son."  
  
Anna gave a happy burble in reply.  
  
Malcolm continued to walk around the ship, softly talking and singing to his daughter. He checked in at the armory, letting his staff pass Anna around. He fed her a bottle as he walked around and did a spot check of the phase pistols charging in their racks. After burping her, Malcolm hoped that being full would help her sleep. Anna had other ideas. She smiled and ahhhed, waving her chubby arms around. Shaking his head wearily, to the great amusement of his gamma shift staff, Malcolm put Anna back into the sling and started another circuit around the ship.  
  
It was 0300 and Malcolm thanked the gods that he was off-duty for the coming day. Pulling double-shifts for three days meant he'd get some sleep once his daughter did. Wearily, wondered if Hoshi had gotten up to pump or if she was still sleeping.  
  
Malcolm found himself in front of sickbay and looking at Anna, sighed, "Let's go bother Phlox my dear. Perhaps we can go and look at his bat and all the other creatures your dad knows oh, so intimately well."  
  
Anna gave him a little giggle and Malcolm smiled, bringing her up to give her a kiss on her forehead.  
  
Entering sickbay, he found Phlox feeding one of his creatures. "Ah, Lieutenant-commander, I see your daughter is keeping you up once more. And what time did she start complaining again?"  
  
Malcolm rocked Anna as he answered, "Same as the last four nights, 0100. I have been all over the bloody ship twice tonight. I fed her a bottle, sung every appropriate song I know and tried reasoning with her. Nothing's worked."  
  
Phlox chuckled and smiled one of his ultra-wide smiles. "Yes, my third child was the same way. Kept us up all hours of the night. One night, after six hours, I broke down and gave him some deetha juice. Put him right to sleep."  
  
Malcolm looked at Phlox with tired excitement. "Deetha juice? What is it? Do you have some here?"  
  
Phlox shook his negatively. "I'm afraid not, Lieutenant-commander. A deetha is a large slug like animal that's six meters long. It's rather nasty to milk and it's juice is rather rare. It's a relaxant and very costly to get. No, I had a deetha in my collection at home. A year later it died of old age."  
  
"Oh, I see," said Malcolm, feeling very let down. "That's rather disappointing to hear."  
  
Phlox took Anne out of the sling and began rocking her. "Don't worry, she'll eventually go to sleep."  
  
Malcolm sat down on one of the biobeds. "The key word, doctor, is eventually. Eventually, she'll go to sleep. Eventually, we'll get her on a set feeding and sleeping schedule. Eventually, I'll be able to shag my wife again."  
  
Phlox bit back a chuckle at Malcolm's words. After almost seven years and countless trips to sickbay, it still was rare for the armory officer to be very open with the doctor about anything beyond his physical health. Phlox considered that he must be more tired and frustrated than he'd thought.  
  
"I know it's not much comfort now, but I assure you that indeed, you will have time for you and Hoshi to be more, intimate. Life regains some semblance of order, it's just a different order."  
  
Malcolm rubbed his face with his hands, yawning. "In about eighteen years or so, right? God, what I would give right now for Anne to go to sleep. My darling girl asleep, asleep, my kingdom for a bloody good night's sleep and two hours with my wife alone."  
  
Phlox looked at Malcolm and laughed softly. "I think the universe has answered your prayer. Come look."  
  
With stealthy quickness, Malcolm slid off the biobed and went over to Phlox. "Bloody hell," he whispered. "She's asleep! Phlox, you are a miracle worker."  
  
Gently, Phlox handed over Anne to her father. "I don't know about that. It was just time for her to go to sleep that's all. Goodnight, Lieutenant- commander."  
  
With very careful hands, Malcolm expertly slipped his daughter back into the sling. "Goodnight, doctor."  
  
Without a sound, Malcolm left sickbay.  
  
He made it back to his and Hoshi's quarters without running into single soul. With the same deftness and light touch that allowed him to defuse bombs, Malcolm slid Anne into her cradle. Putting a light blanket on her, Malcolm kissed her forehead. She stirred once and he watched her breathe, to be sure she was all right. Glancing at the chronometer, he saw that it was now 0420.  
  
After a few minutes, Malcolm made his way to the bed, crawling next to Hoshi and spooning against her back. Hoshi turned and kissed him, whispering, "She asleep?"  
  
"Yes. Sorry to wake you, love." Malcolm kissed Hoshi back and buried his face her neck.  
  
"I was awake. I woke up to pump an hour ago. I had just turned out the light when you came in." Hoshi snuggled closer, letting her hands slide up and down his back.  
  
"Mmmm, that feels nice my love." Malcolm lifted his head up and kissed Hoshi.  
  
Hoshi responded to the kiss with a small, hushed moan of passion. Her hands began to travel lower. Malcolm looked at his wife. "Because I'm so knackered, please tell me that I'm not dreaming, that you are wanting to have sex."  
  
Hoshi giggled softly. "You are not dreaming. I really, really want you, Malcolm. It's been too long and I've finally gotten my libido back. So, do you have any energy for..."  
  
Malcolm cut her off with a kiss, his hands sliding over her familiar curves lovingly. "Oh, God, yes," he groaned quietly against her mouth. "This must be must be the universe's way of rewarding me for minding the baby."  
  
Hoshi's reply never made it out of her mouth as Malcolm began to make love to her. 


End file.
